Brandy's Spot Remover

One 32 oz. spray bottle
One 3/4 cup ammonia ( 40% )
2 1/4 cup water ( 55% )
1 Tbsp. dish soap (must be Dawn or Joy)

Combine in spray bottle but don't shake. Spray on stains before washing.

Uses For Coffee Grounds:

Refrigerator Deodorizer: Punch holes in empty butter container. Put coffee grounds in container and place in the back of your refrigerator to absorb odors.

Hand Freshener/Odor Remover: Scrub hands with grounds after cutting fish or garlic. The coffee grounds remove the foul odor and leave your hands smelling like a coffee shop rather than a fish market.

Plant Energizer: Use grounds to feed and nourish your azaleas by mixing them into the dirt around the base of the pant. The acid in the grounds works to feed the roots and should produce healthier azaleas with more blooms.

Surface Cleaner:

Mix one tablespoon of dish soap with hot water in an 8-oz. spray bottle.

Spray surfaces and wipe.

Rinse as needed

OR

Mix 1-2 tablespoons of borax with a tablespoon of vinegar in 16 oz. of water. Shake the bottle well, spray surfaces and wipe dry with a clean cloth. You can also add 1 teaspoon of tea tree oil to help prevent mildew.

Glass cleaner

Mix 1/3 cup of vinegar to 2/3 cups of water for cleaning glass. For grimy or greasy windows, mix equal parts of isopropyl alcohol and water. Both versions are extremely cheap to make and alcohol will disinfectant when needed.

Bathroom and Heavy Duty Cleanser

Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of water and add up to a tablespoon of borax. Mix well in a spray bottle and clean surfaces as you would with an economical cleaner like Comet or Ajax.

Air Freshener Alternative

For a spray freshener, dilute citrus of lavender oil in water and place in a spray bottle with a fine mist setting. Lightly mist the air, but avoid wetting fabrics and upholstery.

OR

To create the warm cinnamon smell of popular air fresheners and candles, mix 1/2 cup of applesauce with 1/4 cup of cinnamon. Roll out onto wax paper to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into small squares of with miniature cookie cutters. Air dry until hardened. This is a particularly moist mixture but it dries out nicely onto the wax paper. When dry, cut out the shapes, leaving the wax paper backing. You can punch a hole at the top of a shape then run a wire or string through the hole. Hang the sweet-smelling shape in your car or in closets.

If desired, place dried pieces in a bowl or jar for potpourri. You can also mix it with marbles or river rock for color.

Homemade Pancake Syrup

1 cup loose brown sugar

1/2 teaspoons light molasses

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter (optional- for more richness)

Mix all ingredients in a microwave safe measuring cup and heat for 2 minutes on high. Stir and let cool before serving.

Pour warm over homemade whole-wheat pancakes.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2 c. milk

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix all the wet ingredients together.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Add to milk mixture and stir just until moist, but still lumpy.
Pour by spoonfuls onto a hot griddle until golden brown on both sides.

Jiffy Mix

Mix all dry ingredients together and keep in an air-tight container.

Just add oil, eggs and milk when ready to whip up a quick homemade breakfast.